Safety and signaling device for railroads.



D. C; NEWTON.'v l SAEETY AND sIENALxNG DEVICE EOE 1NIL1wADE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T..231,'191 8.

1,095,915, 'Patented May`5,1914.

f N o LL l \l F Lrj UNITED STATES PATENT oEEroE.

DIMOND C. NEWTON, F OWEGO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 MAX y LINDEMAN, 0F OWEGO, NEW YORK.

SAFETY AND SIG-NALING DEVICE FOR RAILROADS.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known thatI, DiMoND C. NEWTON,

. a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Owego, countyof Tioga, andv State of New York, have invented a new and useful Safety and Signaling Device for Railroads, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is adapted for use in connection. with all railroad lines in which semaphores or similar signa-ling devices are used, y

train to a stop, thus eliminating all danger arising from lack of attention en the p art of the engineer or motorman, or inability to 'l see the semaphore, owing to fog, smoke or .other obstruction, and perhaps sudden illness which has been known to incapacitate an engine driver.

Generally stated, the invention consists in Y supplementing the semaphore apparatus with devices on thel roadbed which co-act 'p with other devices carried by the locomotive, 30

and cooperating thatwhen the semaphore is electric car, or other engine, so constructed set for danger, the passage of the engine over the ldevices located in the roadbed will close a battery circuit suiiiciently powerful to actuate the automatic brake mechanism carried by the engine, and the construction and arrangement are such that the release of the brake-mechanism and consequent stopping of.4 the train are entirely automatic, requiringno act tobe performed nor thought exercised by the engineer or motorman.

The drawing hereof illustrates' diagrammaticallyfthe construction and method of operation 'of the parts. They are enlarged and somewhat separated from each other that the construction and method of operation may be more plainly noted.

1 represents an electric bell provided with suitable operating devices which latter are preferably inclosedin a suitable casing 2.

3, 3 are suitable conductors connecting the bell with suitably constructed shoes 4, 4.

5 is a magnet connected by conductors 6, 6 with the conductors 3, 3 respectively.

When energized the magnet exerts its attrac-` Serial No. 796,759.

tive force upon the lever 7 which is normally retracted by a spring 8. This lever when drawn downwardly actuates a locking pawl 9 which releases a drum 10 or its equivalent, whereby through appropriate apparatus and in a manner'well understood, the brake system of the train is called into action.

11, 11 are set screws for proper adjustment of the lever 7 All of the parts thus far described are mounted upon and carriedby the locomotive, electric -car or other engine.

12 `and 13 are rails of the track which may be of any preferred construction and supplied with the usual semaphore equipment'.

15 and 16 are contact rails, preferably laid in the track between the rails 12 and 13 and so located and of such length as to properly register with and engage the contact shoes 4, 4 carried by the locomotive or other engine.

17 is a battery of such power as will ring the bell 1 carried by the engine and also operatethe brake mechanism. This battery may be the same battery that actuates the semaphore, its power being suiiicient-ly increased to perform its added duties if found necessary, or it `may be a separate and dis tinct battery from the semaphore battery,

`the circuit of which will be opened and closed by the position f the semaphore arm.

18 is the semaphbre arm mounted as usual upon the semaphore post 19 and provided with connecting rod20, or its equivalent, whereby through the contact plate 21 the cir-4 cuit is closedA and broken. y

22 is a conductor connecting one end of the battery with the semaphore contact plate 23.

24 is another conductor connecting `the other semaphore contact plate 25 with the contact rail 15. l

26 is a resistance placed betweenthe conductor 22 and the conductor 24.

27 is a conductor connecting the other end of the battery with the contact rail 16.

The operation is as follows: When theV semaphore arm is dropped, z'. e., not as shown in the drawing, then thereA will be rno connectio'n between the semaphore contacts 23 and-25, owing" to the separation of the plate 21 therefrom and no current can vpass that point. The parts being in this position, as

the locomotive, electric car or other engine, proceeds along the track in the direction Patented May 5, 1914. p

indicated by the arrow,the contact shoes ft,- t will engagewith the contact, rails and 16, whereby in a manner Well understood the the current passing through the circuit just described will be not powerful enough to energize the magnet 5 sutliciently to actuate the brake controlling lever 7 and the result will be that the bell in the cab of the ,locomotive or Inotorma'ns apartmentas the case may be, will ring, thus giving notice'that the semaphore being set for safety, presumably the track is clear and that the train 'may proceed. If, however, the semaphore arm 18 is set for danger, i. c., elevated into a horizontal position, as shown in the drawing, when by the advance of the engine the contact shoest, et have made engagement with the Contact rails 15, 16, a dilferent circuit will be closed because the elevation of the semaphore arm will have brought the conductor plate 21 into Contact withfthe selna hore terminals 23 and 25, thusV making e ectrical connection between them and now a circuit will be established as follows: from the lefthand end of the battery through conductor 22 to semaphore terminal 23,

through connecting plate 21 to vsemaphore terminal 25, through conductor 24 to contact rail 15, through shoe 4 and conductor 3 to the bell, and now the resistance having been cut out, the current is so. powerful that it will pass from conductor 3 through conduc- `tor 6 to the magnet coil 5 and froml the other end of the coil through conductor 6 to-conductor 3', thence through shoe 4 to track rail 16 and thencethrough conductor 27 back to the other pole of the battery and this current will be so powerful that the magnet 5 will be energized and bar '7 drawn downwardly, thus releasing thelocking pawl 0 of the drum 10, or its equivalent, which acting l v through appropriate mechanism in a man ner well understood, will bring the brake mechanism' of the train into action, causing it to come to a stop and at the same time the bell 1 will ring, thus causing the engineer or motorman to be observant to ascertain what is taking place.

The various parts of the apparatus described and shown will of course be provided with the usual attachments or devices to render their operation etlicient and'reliable, as,l for example, the battery, whether the semaphore battery or another, may be placed Copies o1' 'this patent may be obtained for 'veccnts cach, by addressing the Comm.

between the track rails, or by the'side there- Athe contact shoes et, 4C', will ofi course be correspondingly constructed to assure suitable electrical connection between them and the Contact rails.

It will be obvious to those who are familiar with such matters that the detailsofl construction may be changed without departing from the essentials of the invention; A

I therefore do not limit myself to the details shown and' described.

I claim:

track rails, stationary contact devices in the roadbed, a semaphore anda switch controlled thereby, a battery and an electrical conductor connecting one'endmf the bat- 8() 1. Railway safety apparatus embodying` tory with the said semaphore-controlled switch, and a conductor connecting said switch to one of the contact devices, a resistance interposed between the above-recited conductors, another conductor connecting the other end of the battery with .the other contact device, and a signaling device, automatic brake mechanism and circuit-closing devices carried by the engine, saidcircuit-closing devices controlling said brake mechanism and signaling device and adapted to cooperate with said stationary contact devices, said signaling device requiring less current than the brake mechanism, whereby it is operated at all times when the circuitclosing devices are in Contact with the stationary contact devices.

2. Railway safety apparatus embodying stationary contact devices located in the roadbed, a track signaling device, a battery, conductors connecting the two poles of the battery with the respective contact devices, a resistance in the circuit and means to shunt the resistance when the signal is set for danger, and a signaling device, automatic brake mechanism and circuit-closing devices all carried by the engine a-nd in operative relation to the said stationary contact devices, whereby the signaling device carried by the engine is operated when the said resistance is in circuitnd the brake mechanism and the signaling device carried by the engine are both operated when the said resistance is shunted. p

ln testimony whereof I have `signed my name to thisspeciication-in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DMOND C. NEWTON. lWitnesses:

FRANK Bn( Hsnninr E.

er ot Patente,

Washington, D. C. 

